An interview with Chinland’s Education Minister Salai Cross Thang on the transformation of Chin State’s education sector alongside the Chin revolution
More than three years after the military coup, Chin forces led by the Chin National Front (CNF) formed the Chinland Council and the Chinland Government amid political differences.
Eight months after the establishment of the Chinland Government, the leaders of the Chinland’s education sector began to rapidly implement changes in the education system in parallel with the Chin revolution.
Chinland’s education leaders say they are working to ensure that thousands of Chin youth, including children who have fled their homes with their families, students who have joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), and young people who have joined the armed resistance, can continue their education, maintain educational opportunities, and minimize the impact on students and youth.
The Chinland Education Strategic Plan (2025-2030) is currently being drawn up. In the higher education sector, they are planning to establish the Chin National University (CNU), which will soon accept students.
According to initial data, over 50,000 students are studying under the Chinland Council, Chinland Government, and Chinland Ministry of Education. The soon-to-be-opened higher education university will also accept hundreds of students.
In parallel with the construction of Chinland, the Chin resistance forces are creating the necessary human resources. Khonumthung Media Group (KMG) conducted this interview with Salai Cross Thang, Chinland’s Minister of Education, to learn more about the changes in the Chinland’s education sector, the current state of management and implementation, and the challenges.
Q: We’ve heard that permission has been granted to open the Chin National University (CNU) during the revolutionary period. Now that permission has been granted, what actions are being taken?
A: The ministry has issued an order permitting the opening. CNU will initially start with a pre-college program. Students won’t be able to directly enter the first or second year of CNU. Everyone who wants to attend CNU must first complete an 8-month pre-college diploma program. We’ve already posted this on our ministry’s page. Only those who complete the pre-college course will be eligible to enroll in the university’s programs. CNU plans to have 11 faculties.
Q: What are the 11 faculties of Chin National University?
A: They are the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medical Science, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Technology, Faculty of Computer Science, Faculty of Social Science, Faculty of Natural Science, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, and Faculty of Language, Literature and Culture.
Q: Can you tell us more about the pre-college program?
A: During this revolutionary period, we’re allowed to open only one university-level institution. The pre-college course has a defined curriculum. It must have a minimum of 900 teaching hours. There are five required subjects. We also allow teaching of subjects needed for specific regions.
However, these additional subjects can’t interfere with the 900 hours of our 5 set subjects. There’s no restriction on which townships or regions can open a pre-college program. Any township or region that can do so is allowed. But they must teach our prescribed curriculum. If the Ministry of Education has budget allocations for these areas, we’ll provide as much support as possible. At first, townships and areas that want to open these programs will need to do so on self-supporting basis.
Q: How many pre-college programs will open during this revolutionary period, and when will they start?
A: We’re preparing to start the pre-college program for CNU by October at the latest. We plan to distribute application forms to relevant townships and regions soon. At the moment, we’re planning to open pre-college programs in three townships or regions.
Q: In this initial phase of opening CNU, how many students are you aiming to take in and teach?
A: We’re preparing to accept at least 300 students for CNU’s pre-college program. This is because some townships and regions might not be able to open their own pre-college classes. So, we’re planning to accept at least 300 students in CNU’s pre-college program, including those from areas that can’t open their own programs.
Q: What kind of university will CNU be? What will it look like to the Chin people? Where will it be opened?
A: We can’t disclose the location in the media yet because we need to be cautious about airstrikes. The Chin National University will be seen by the public as an autonomous institution.
Q: The Chin Ministry of Education has released a 5-year education plan for Chinland. It states that school councils should include at least 30 percent women and persons with disabilities. Why is this?
A: The 30 percent requirement is set because the Chinland Constitution includes a provision to promote women’s participation. It’s also a way to implement gender equality by promoting the role of women. We’ve included persons with disabilities to ensure their participation and to elevate their role, aiming for inclusive representation.
Q: What changes can we expect in the Chinland’s education sector within the Chinland Education Strategic Plan (2025-2030)?
A: We will see the implementation of an education system where everyone has equal rights and access to education. In other words, a fully realized federal democratic education system will emerge. For the Chin people, an education system with full democratic values and the right to self-determination will emerge, in line with the federal democratic system.
Q: What challenges do you face in implementing changes in Chinland’s education system?
A: Let me say that the biggest challenge is providing financial support for teachers working in schools on the ground. The second challenge would be teacher training programs. This is because many of those serving are volunteers and young people without teaching certificates. They need a lot of teacher training. Over 60 percent of the volunteers don’t have teaching certificates yet.
Thirdly, because we’re in a revolutionary period, we urgently need to develop a Chinland regional curriculum. It’s not yet possible to write and publish all subjects in the Chin language at the primary level. We plan to combine Chin literature, geography, history, civics, and life skills into one subject as part of the regional curriculum. We’re currently preparing to develop this regional curriculum, planning to teach it as one subject from first grade to ninth grade.
Another point is that in the higher education sector, we have a shortage of human resources because only teachers from higher education can teach at this level. We’ll need a lot of human resources to open these 11 faculties. The shortage of university teachers is a major challenge. We also face difficulties with teaching aids, textbooks, and writing materials. However, I believe that if we can solve these four main challenges among the many difficulties, we can run Chinland’s education system with minimal impact, no matter what happens.
Q: What would you like to say to people at home and abroad about the support you need?
A: Education can’t succeed with domestic efforts alone. It can be carried out with minimal impact only if Chin people both abroad and within the country work together. We also appeal to other ethnic groups, including the Bamar, to help support Chin education to minimize its disruption.
We can’t allow people’s educational foundation to be weakened. Although we are in a revolutionary period, if education is destroyed and our youth and children are denied the opportunity to learn, with educational activities coming to a halt, we will not be able to properly implement the federal democracy we desire.
If people’s educational standards are low, as U Thant said, the federal democratic system we want will be a chaotic one. To achieve a federal democratic system that aligns with democratic values, we need to ensure that both basic and higher education are not neglected even during the revolutionary period, and we must work to minimize their disruption.
Q: What are the main difficulties faced by students at primary, middle, high school, and pre-college levels in pursuing their education during this revolutionary period?
A: In some townships and areas where pre-college education hasn’t yet been opened, there are significant challenges for students trying to reach areas where schools are open. For pre-college students, access to libraries and internet connectivity is also difficult. Primary school students have great difficulty in obtaining writing materials and textbooks. As we’ve passed over three academic years, existing resources have become insufficient.
Even with money, printed textbooks are often unavailable. Existing textbooks have deteriorated. Schools lack even basic equipment like blackboards. Some school buildings in certain townships and regions are not sturdy. Some schools are constructed with just tarpaulins, which isn’t safe. Children in IDP camps are in a particularly pitiful state. They lack everything from tarpaulins to other necessities. There’s a shortage of proper desks and chairs; the existing ones are unstable and in poor condition. The revolutionary period brings numerous challenges.
As the revolution drags on, the shortage of teachers has become more severe. People who volunteered for 2-3 years now need to find other means of livelihood. It’s becoming difficult for communities to provide financial support for teachers to meet their living expenses. Furthermore, as young people seek better opportunities, fewer are able to volunteer. This has led to an increased shortage of teaching staff.
Q: How is the transformation of the Chinland’s education sector related to the NUG’s federal education system?
A: The Federal Democratic Education Policy of Chinland is based on the Federal Democratic Education Policy approved by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), modified to suit Chinland. Since the goal of the revolution is federal democracy, what we’re implementing in Chinland is federal democratic education, which aligns perfectly.
Q: What are the potential threats to students’ education in Chinland from the military council?
A: The military council doesn’t spare areas where civilians are present. They target and attack schools and hospitals without discrimination, showing a lack of humanity. They conduct airstrikes on areas with innocent civilians, so I would say that air raids are the main threat.
Q: How many middle and high school students are there under your ministry? And how many teachers?
A: It’s been extremely difficult to collect data, so we haven’t been able to gather all the information yet. Not all data has arrived. According to the latest figures, there are over 50,000 students and over 4,000 teachers.
Q: Can you explain how high school graduates from across Chinland connect and study at Chin National University?
A: Basic education is set up to go through 12th grade. After that, students must complete pre-college. Only then can they gain admission to Chin National University. The purpose of the intermediate pre-college is primarily to overcome the English language barrier when studying higher education and to acquire necessary technical skills.
We will teach political and human rights concepts for Chin national building. Since we’re in a revolutionary period, we’ll also teach emergency rescue operations and first aid. Not all pre-college students might be able to attend university. We also aim to prepare them to participate in local administration during and after the revolutionary period.
The goal is to equip them with skills needed to serve as pillars in grassroots social and administrative work, to take on responsibilities in social, religious, and administrative tasks in their regions and communities, and to work in civil society organizations. Pre-college is intended to provide skills that couldn’t be fully developed during the revolutionary period when education had to be pursued on the run.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: I’d like to add why it’s crucial to prioritize education even during the revolutionary period. The goal of our current revolution is a federal democratic system. For example, in the city-state of Athens, it was the democratic system itself that put Socrates to death. Because of this, his famous student Plato was so embittered that he went as far as to say he despised the democratic system where inferior people ruled, which led to his teacher’s execution.
Therefore, for us to achieve the federal democratic system we desire – one that doesn’t kill our intellectuals, experts, and good people, but instead is a system where all citizens have high educational standards and can uphold democratic values – we need to ensure that people have a strong educational foundation. This is why we can’t neglect education and must implement it alongside the revolution.
Sent by KNG.